Entries tagged with: Acheron

Louisiana sludge legends Eyehategod hit the Acheron Tuesday night (7/15) for the final show of their tour with Strong Intention and Iron Reagan. Unfortunately Vektor, who were also on the tour, had to cancel their set because one of their members was vomiting uncontrollably, but the rest of the show was brutal and varied as planned.

Strong Intention kicked it off with a fierce set that toggled effortlessly between grinding blast-beats and slower grooves. I was unfamiliar with these guys going in, but they've been doing it for a long time (since 1993) and they really knocked me back with how tight they were and how quickly their rippers got to the point.

Iron Reagan were next, and they played a longer set than usual to make up for Vektor's absence. Those dudes know how to throw a party. They had the small space at the Acheron moshing in short order, their frenzied blasts of crossover thrash whipping everybody into party mode. The band is insanely fast and tight but come armed with a sense of loose metal fun that defines the proceedings. They write extremely catchy riffs and grooves, and that comes through on stuff like the particularly tasty new song "Miserable Failure" and the set-closer "Eat Shit and Live." The band is really a sight live, the hair of the three string-players whipping around in perfect unison. They played a couple covers towards the end, ripping through a Cannibal Corpse song (not to be confused with Cannabis Corpse, with whom they share a member) before singer Tony Foresta declared, "Fuck it, we're in New York, we'll play a Cro-Mags song." That one really got the crowd going, not that they weren't already.

Iron Reagan would normally be a tough live act to follow, but Eyehategod had no problems. "This is the perfect tour for us. I hate touring with bands that rip off Eyehategod" slurred Mike IX Williams in the middle of their set. In contrast to the speed demons that came before, Eyehategod stumbled across the stage for their whole set, but in their fucked-upness lies their power. It seemed like the audience was drunkenly swaying with them, and the small room by then was unbearably packed and sweaty (in that good way). It was basically a madhouse as they played for over an hour, thick feedback accommodating every pause, Williams pouring Vodka into the eager mouths of those in the front row. The sludge was so thick you couldn't cut it with knife, and the Acheron provided the appropriately filthy atmosphere for the music. The band have such a great back catalog of music to grab from, and they mixed new material with classics like "Dixie Whiskey" and "White Nigger." The whole thing was loose, huge, and intoxicated, which is what I had expected and hoped for from an Eyehategod show.

Original Trouble singer Eric Wagner will be touring with his new band Blackfinger. The doomish psych rockers will be playing shows in support of their eponymous debut released last January on the Church Within Records. The slate of summer events take on some interesting guests, including Apostle of Solitude for two early dates, trad heavies Argus in Pittsburgh, and killer solo smiths Iron Man in Baltimore. On August 1, Blackfinger will play the Acheron with fellow travelers Beelzefuzz and Kings Destroy (who also just opened for Trouble with Kyle Thomas on vocals at Saint Vitus). Tickets are available now. All dates are listed below.

That Blackfinger is touring is interesting, as Wagner left Trouble in 2008 over touring concerns, so if you haven't caught Wagner's classic warble yet, this is a great opportunity. Along with Blackfinger, Wagner also fronts The Skull -- named after Trouble's second album -- which features two other ex-Trouble members and released a single via Tee Pee Records in April.

All of the dates along with two Blackfinger songs, the Skull's single, and Eric Wagner's great contribution to Dave Grohl's Probbot project, below...

We mentioned a few weeks ago that Syracuse-based noise punkers Perfect Pussy were slated to play a New Year's Eve party at Baby's All Right, along with DIIV, Nothing, Potty Mouth and Ratking. For reasons unknown (the band hasn't issued a statement), they've dropped off the Baby's bill, and instead hopped aboard the lineup for the previously mentioned NYE party at Acheron, which features No Statik, Nomad, Grudges, La Misma and Creeping Dose. Perfect Pussy took a lineup hit as part of the switch; they're billed fourth to last at the Acheron as opposed to second to last at Baby's All Right, but they arguably fit into Ach's lineup a little better.

East Williamsburg's metal and hardcore venue of record, the Acheron, is heading down to Mexico to host a two day festival, the first annual Acheron D-Fest on February 14 and 15 at Club Bombay in Mexico City. The festival will feature thrashers Toxic Holocaust and Black Tusk at the top of the nearly twenty band bill that includes psych punks Lecherous Gaze and death/grind specialists Skullshitter. If you're more into metal than love, this could be a good way to skip out on Valentine's Day. Head over to D-Fest's Facebook page for more details. Full lineup below.

Toxic Holocaust kick off their previously discussed tour with Ramming Speed in NJ on Saturday (11/16). That tour hits NYC at Saint Vitus on November 29 with In Defence. Tickets for that show are still available.

Brooklyn punk/metal venue Acheron faced some controversy over the weekend when they booked an Oi! skinhead show with Oxblood, Offensive Weapon, Stormwatch, The Wolverines, and Maddog Surrender on Saturday (9/21). Certain events that took place at the show prompted the venue to apologize to their regulars. A Facebook post from the venue reads:

It's 2013 and this should not have to be said, but let it be known that the Acheron has no patience or sympathy for any form of intolerance or fascism. The bullshit debate over Death in June is nothing compared to the unfortunate surprise we were presented with tonight. To any regulars that felt they needed to leave, please accept our apologies and know that more vetting will be done on all future shows.

In the comments they continue:

To be clear: this is not directed at the promoters of the show, but at a certain segment of the crowd who made my patrons and staff uncomfortable, and me as well.

...No one was out of line and the crowd was generally very polite and under control. I have no personal issue with anyone at the show and certainly not with the promoters. As a promoter myself for nearly 20 years. I am certainly sympathetic and understanding. Nonetheless, when a member of the crowd says to my door person "you don't get to talk to me. You're not even white". I have a responsibility to address that.

...I just want my regulars and those that see offensive things posted on the internet to know that we do not support the views espoused by some members of the crowd last night and would rather not, at the end of the day, be party to those who would literally wear intolerance on their sleeve. As a business owner, I will always be polite and treat customers with respect. However, I would rather not invite customers that would alienate other customers.

The show was initially kept somewhat of a secret; Acheron never listed the show on their Facebook or website, and didn't even reference any details in their apology. The venue and address are even absent from the show's Facebook event on the label's site and from the flyer. The show is practically non-Googleable, and in a YouTube video we found of Offensive Weapon's set at the show (which also doesn't list the name of the venue), the singer (at 5:50) mentions that they kept the show a secret because of their "friends in the Antifa" who they then dedicate a song called "Yellow Journalist" to.

Antifa is an anti-fascism group who makes it a point to try and shut down shows they believe include bands with fascist beliefs (like Death in June for instance). Members of Offensive Weapons and/or their associates have been pictured wearing Anti-Antifa shirts (not to mention red suspenders). According to record label, Pure Impact, Offensive Weapon are "one of THE non-PC American skinhead bands of the moment, tough Oi! with a touch of hardcore, true heirs to the old Youth Defense League style." But according to some, "All 'no politics' means for these lowlifes is: boneheads welcome."

Regarding the political or non-political motives of the bands on the bill, in response to the venue's Facebook status, Heidi Cavegurl Witmann (self proclaimed girlfriend of Oxblood's drummer) commented:

Seriously? There WERE NO NAZI BANDS THERE LAST NIGHT...there was a mixed crowd there and a few with opposing viewpoints and sure, I saw a few white power skins there...but I actually had a GREAT time last night, as ALMOST everyone was on their best behavior...funny that it seemed like it was the "ladies" who caused the only real ruckus. Fuckin sad...I actually dug the Acheron and it's staff until this thread. This is just another reason why I don't even make it out to see my own boyfriend drum for Oxblood. I have known them all for years and and this racist talk about any of those bands is so fucking tired already. I don't date or cohort with racists and I certainly don't stay commited to one for 13 years. I went to see our best friends (Frank and Val Bruno) come from Texas and to see and hear some kickass Rock and Roll...oh yea...and to watch my man kick some ass on the drums!! FUCK THE POLITICS and enough with the bogus racist hype already! Sheesh...way to ruin a gurl's night out. Ug.

Danish punks Lower just brought their tour through NYC for Northside shows with hometown pals Iceage at MHOW on Thursday (6/13) (also with A Place to Bury Strangers and more) and Saint Vitus on Friday (6/14) (with Lust For Youth and more). If you missed 'em this time around, or just have to see them again, you're in luck because the band have since announced that they'll be making one last stop in NYC on June 25 at Acheron (57 Waterbury St in Brooklyn).

That show is with one of their tourmates, Cleveland's excellent post-punk band Pleasure Leftists, NYC punks Crazy Spirit, Boston's The Ukiah Drag, and NYC goths Anasazi (whose member Keegan designed the show flyer). Show starts at 8 PM and admission is $8 at the door. 18+.

Updated dates are listed, along with the Acheron show flyer and some song streams, below...

Saint Vitus may have sustained some minor water damage to the basement, but the Greenpoint metal bar is open for business tonight (10/31) for a special Halloween event featuring Bottoms Up (a David Lee Roth era Van Halen tribute band). Entrance is free (or save your spot with a $1 ticket, on sale now), and the party starts at 9PM with complimentary booze (Red Bull and vodka) from 9 - 10 PM and continues until the time of "you-probably-should-be-in-bed".

The venue announced that Blackgates, which features Dan Nelson (ex-Anthrax) and Paul Bostaph (ex-Slayer), have cancelled their appearance on 11/3, but still no word on whether the rest of the bill will go on as planned or be scrapped entirely.

Meanwhile, The Acheron is proceeding with business as usual as well. The venue sustained no damage due to Sandy, and will host a show tonight featuring Author & Punisher with Panther Modern. DJ Derek Rush is also on board and $10 gets you into this 21+ show.

Seattle's Bell Witch caused quite a stir with their bandcamp demo (available below) that dropped last year, so much so that I included it in my favorites of 2011. That demo lead to the new Longing LP, which will see the light of day via Profound Lore on November 13. Stream an edit of the first song to emerge from that release, "Bails (Of Flesh)," below.

Unlike his other project Samothrace (who cancelled their tour), Dylan Desmond and the rest of Bell Witch are scheduled to play NYC at Acheron on October 16 as part of a round of East Coast dates. All other tour dates, a flyer and those streams are below.

After seeing Refused at Terminal 5 last night (4/23, pictures coming), I wasn't interested in a second round within hours of the first, so I headed to Young Widows at Saint Vitus instead (pictures on the way). But there's no denying that seeing the reunited band, who just played two giant shows in NYC and giant shows at Coachella, in a small DIY space in Brooklyn, aka Acheron, is a rare opportunity. And that's exactly where they played for the third time in two NYC days last night around 1am.

Hopefully you caught my tweet in time to get in. Refused predictably packed the room to the gills via word-of-mouth with lines wrapping around the block. Pictures and video from that surprise appearance are below...

One of the first shows in a newly-renovated Acheron went down on Wednesday, April 4th when Full of Hell teamed with Code Orange Kids, Birds in Row and Real Cops to play the space. Here are some pictures.

The show is part of a string of dates for Full of Hell/Code Orange Kids, who both played SXSW, and who share the stage with Birds in Row before the band heads out for dates with Converge (including Music Hall of Williamsburg next week) and with Touche Amore, Defeater, and Code Orange Kids (including the Loft in New Brunswick on 4/20).

Ilsa's death-metal-infused doom-and-roll headlined Acheron on April 1st, supported by local death metal favorites Ruin Lust (mems Fell Voices, Grudges, Death First) and Scowl. The show was one of a few scheduled by Ilsa in preparation for the recording of their new LP at Developing Nations in Baltimore for release via A389 Records. Pictures and video from the show are below.

Scowl also played a show the next night at Lit Lounge with Skelptarsis (mem Mutilation Rites), Welkin Dusk, and Hitokiri. Video from their Lit Lounge show is below.

The Acheron show was the last in Acheron before the space underwent renovations on Monday and was back to running order by Wednesday for Full of Hell (pictures on the way).

More pictures from Acheron and video of Scowl from Lit Lounge...below.

Speedwolf is currently touring off of Ride with Death, the band's latest LP out now via Hell's Headbangers. That tour kicked off in early March and included a stop at a BV SXSW Day Party in Austin before they headed towards the Northeast to spread more mayhem. The Denver Motorhead-worshipping speed freaks played Acheron on March 29th with support from Coffin Dust, Dethroned Emperor and Salo. Pictures and video from that show are below...

Death metal greats Autopsy have released the title track, which you can listen to below, from their forthcoming All Tomorrow's Funerals LP due via Peaceville on February 28. The record collects previous EPs and includes re-recorded tracks. Check out the tracklisting and album art below too.

Autopsy spent January 14th in Los Angeles performing at The Gathering of The Beastial Legion V at Echo/Echoplex, where they teamed with Incantation, Acheron, Sanguis Imperium, HOD, Crypt Infection, and many more. Pictures from that day-long festival are below. Chicago-ans can look for Autopsy to play their fair city on May 5th, while Maryland Death Fest participants can expect them soon as well.

That song stream, tracklisting, album art, and more pictures from The Gathering of The Beastial Legion, including one of Autopsy's setlist, are below.

‎*** We regret to announce that Citizens Arrest will not be performing at ABC NO RIO this Saturday (12/17). Daryl has contracted a serious case of pneumonia and obviously, can not perform. We have been replaced by the OMEGAS. We apologize to any of you who have made extensive plans to see us. The show will still go on and the lineup is still stellar and worth your time. Remember it is a benefit for ABC NO RIO!***

Hull is scheduled to join Eyehategod and Doomridersat Europa on 12/4 (tickets), but they'll also play another show a bit sooner. Hull will join Naam, Tournament, and Sannhet for an Acheron benefit show on 11/22 as part of Hull's return back to Brooklyn post-touring with The Fucking Wrath. The show kicks off at 6:30PM with a BBQ (FREE with entry to the show) and the whole thing will only set you back $10. Support DIY and all-ages venues, and get out to Acheron on 11/22!

Mortuary Drape have unfortunately cancelled their entire US tour with Inquisition, including their appearance at Rites of Darkness and their 12/2 date at The Studio at Webster Hall with Negative Plane who has also dropped off of the bill. Inquisition is still playing though and the new-look 12/2 show will NOW instead also include appearances from Disma and Agrath. Tickets are still available.

If you can't make it to The Studio at Webster Hall, Inquisition will join Dark Funeral, Abigail Williams, and Gigan for a string of US dates that will hit Gramercy Theater on 1/30. Tickets are still available. Full tour schedule is below

The Studio show is one of many lined up for Daryl Kahan of Disma who will also do double duty on 12/17, first as part of Citizens Arrest at ABC No Rio, and then with Funebarum who plays with Acheron (the band), Goreaphobia, and Mutant Supremacy that night at Saint Vitus (ticketing info forthcoming).

Batillusheadlined Acheron last night, their last show of the year on their homebase of NYC and a primer for their forthcoming West Coast dates with The Atlas Moth and Kowloon Walled City. Batillus's appearance featured a new song, one of several that band has already written for their follow-up to Furnace, the band's celebrated debut with Seventh Rule. Details on that are forthcoming.

Richmond crew Inter Arma were the lone touring band on the bill, joining locals Belus at the Acheron. Inter Arma linked up with Balaclava on earlier dates. Balaclava played Acheron a few days earlier.

It was quick and to the point on Sunday night (10/23) with two bands at Acheron as part of a post-CMJ hangover party. Richmond's Balaclava headlined adn ripped through material from their latest LP Crimes of Faith (Forcefield/Southern Lord) on the relatively early night, touching on doom, d-beat, and crust in one-fell-unique swoop. Gang Signs supported the quartet, with the NYC duo playing a hybrid of crust, death metal and Black Cobra-style booming riffery. It was a hell of a way to cap off the weekend.

After the boat cruise on Saturday, my original plan was to hit Santos for Youth of Today but that was before I heard about the surprise show at the infinitely smaller Acheron later that night (10/22). Featuring appearances from The Last Stand (mem Inhuman) and Mouthpiece, the show sold out around 12 midnight with 150 lucky people crammed into the venue. I caught some of The Last Stand's NYHC before slipping out to catch a drink and returning in time for Youth of Today. As tight as ever, the "youth" crew played many highlights from their catalog including the entire Disengage 7", "Break Down The Walls", "Flame Still Burns", "Positive Outlook", "Take A Stand", and even a cover of "Minor Threat". Though the band was tight and well-executed, I noticed that Ray Cappo's screaming voice was gone, a fact that wasn't apparent at the Mohawk show during Chaos in Tejas. How was it at Santos? Regardless, the crowd was beyond pumped and so was I.

There was a definite family vibe at Acheron on Saturday (10/7), with touring band Regents (mems Sleepytime Trio, Frodus, Acid Tiger, Thursday) sharing the stage with NYC grind greats Defeatist, Psychic Limb, and The Year is One. Artist Brian Montouri of Psychic Limb is responsible for Regents cover art and the ties between Defeatist, The Year is One and Psychic Limb go deeper than just sharing this stage, so there was a definite air of friendship that went all around.

Regents' blistering punk rock is propelled by Jason Hamacher's (Frodus) pummeling drums, with Drew Ringo and David NeSmith's dueling guitar and scream vocals. Lukas Previn (Acid Tiger, Thursday) filled in on bass, as the band tore through material off of their debut 7". Stream it in its entirety below.

The show was one of two that I caught on Saturday, the first being Thou, The Body, Alkahest, and Argonauts at ABC No Rio (pictures/review).

It may be hard to believe that anyone would go to a show without knowing who was on stage, but that was the case last night at Acheron where four bands from the Black Twilight Circle collective played (Dolorvotre, Kallathon, Shataan, Kuxan Suum) in addition to local greats Mutilation Rites.

To clarify, Black Twilight Circle is West Coast collective of bands that all deal in the dark arts, namely the different faces of black metal. The crew rose to prominence with material by Volahn and Ashdautas, whose members spun off other bands in the following years. One of the most fascinating aspects is that the BTC have kept it in the family, with the number of bands in the stable topping the number of members in the collective; individual members rotate from instrument to instrument depending on the band. This was the case on Monday night. Volahn is the single constant.

The most compelling material of the night though was fronted by Volahn, the soft-spoken and omni-present center of BTC. His vocals were the focus of both the opener Kuxan Suum and the closer Dolorvotre, the latter of which yielded a two guitar attack and were the tightest and most impressive band of the crew. The remainder of the touring bill featured Volahn either on drums (Kallathon, who were plagued with technical difficulty) or on bass (as part of Shataan), with the latter kicking off their almost-garage influenced set with a flute and a demand for "utter silence for this ritual".

Sandwiched in between sets by Kuxan Suum/Shataan and Kallathon/Dolorvotre were the great Mutilation Rites, whose thrash-y black metal power was a welcome break from the overwhelmingly-primitive black metal that was the focus of the evening. Not to say that Mutilation Rites are some glossy metal machine; this Brooklyn band shows their crusty roots but makes sure to keep it tight and well-oiled. Mutilation Rites is definitely a band to watch.

"The most exciting music in American black metal today is being made by a collective of musicians who call themselves the Black Twilight Circle, and who combine for a dizzying array of line-ups under names like Arizmenda, Axeman, Kuxan Suum, the Haunting Presence, and Dolorvotre. Based in Los Angeles, the collective takes its inspiration from pre-hispanic cultures and, in solidarity with the Mexica movement, they reject terms like "latino" and "native American," and instead call themselves "Nican Tlaca," a Nahuatl phrase often translated to "we the people here," meant to refer to the indigenous population of the Western Hemisphere.

Black Twilight Circle's bloodthirsty music praises ritual sacrifice and the shamanistic exaltation of mind-altering drugs. The collective's vision of black metal combines traditional sounds and outré experiments, with Blue Hummingbird on the Left adding flutes and war drums to their instrumentation; others, like Arizmenda, churning out muscular, twisting 13-minute epics; and groups like Axeman hewing percussive BM anthems inflected with traces of '80s punk like GISM and Amebix. An intensely secretive group, the Circle's music appears in very limited editions, often on cassette; they favor off-the-beaten-path live performances..." [The Phoenix]

Mysterious black metal crew The Black Twilight Circle will head to the East Coast for a rare set of dates that will (if everything works out) include THREE NYC stops. As you can see in the list of dates below, two are still "TBA", but one is 10/3 at Acheron. The Black Twilight Circle member bands on the Brooklyn bill are Kallathon, Dolorvotre, Kuxan Suum, and Shataan. Mutilation Rites also play that show. Stay tuned for more info on the other dates.

In related news, Wolves In The Throne Room spent Saturday night (9/17) at Strange Matter in Richmond, with support from Megaton Leviathan (who re-released their demo) and Richmond favorites Bastard Sapling. Richmond show-goers might have noticed that Bastard Sapling had a new item on their merch table, Dragged from our Restless Trance, a new collection of tunes on cassette. Check out "Cold Winds Howled Across The Desolation" from said cassette below, and look for copies of it at Forcefield Records.

That song stream, more pictures from Death By Audio, and the Black Twilight Circle dates are all below.

The Meatmen are going on tour in October, and it will be a full night of snotty punk in Brooklyn right after CMJ, at Europa on October 23rd. The NYC show features support from the one and only Black Fag (the absolutely fabulous tribute to Black Flag in their first NYC appearance!), Runny, and the always obnoxious Beer & Cable (thats a compliment). Tickets for the show are on sale. All daes are listed below.

Expect the unexpected, like male nudity, at a show with Night Birds. The New Jersey/Brooklyn band, who teamed with Give, Devotion and Wet Witch, played the Acheron on 9/9, a one-off for the band who are preparing to head across the pond for a batch of EU dates. Night Birds recently released their new LP The Other Side of Darkness via Grave Mistake, and you can stream it in its entirety.

Tour dates and more pictures from Acheron (sans Wet Witch), including shots of NSFW behavior at the venue on Friday, below...

Due to the oncoming apocalypse (how they are selling it anyway), the previously discussed Victims show with Defeatist, Grudges, and DBCRat Acheron on Sunday (8/28) has been cancelled. Stay tuned, as this show MAY be rescheduled. Saturday's show at Acheron, featuring Brickeater, Gang Signs and VYGR is also CANCELLED.